Alexa grew up in Arizona before moving to Oahu, Hawaii to study Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Throughout her Bachelor's degree, she wrote grants to explore ecological projects that shaped her passion for conservation science and outreach. Her previous research endeavors include developing a community-based conservation plan for a critically endangered bird in The Bahamas and evaluating shifts in intertidal community composition on Oahu. Alexa spent her post-graduation years as both an environmental educator and a seabird biologist before deciding to continue her education at KAUST. She is enthusiastic to apply her research interests of marine conservation and environmental management to study the population dynamics of breeding seabirds in the Red Sea.